3. INTRODUCTION Hard disk is a device for storing and retrieving digital information, primarily computer data.

It rotating discs coated with magnetic material, and with magnetic heads arranged to write data to the surface and read it from them. Hard disk is a device for secondary storage of data. It is classified as non-volatile, random access, digital, magnetic, data storage devices. Generally, hard disk will be partitioned into two or more. 3 a. Making Partitions In Multiple Operating System. -for a computer that use multiple operating system, it needs to be create multiple partitions. Typically, an operating system needs to be installed on its own partition so that it wont conflict with other operating system in the computer. For example, if you started with a computer that had Windows on the hard disk, you could put Linux on a separate partition, and then set up the computer to boot either operating system. Making Multiple Partitions Within Operating System. - the reasons of making disk partitioning depends to the user to making it more easier and useful for their computer. The main of the reasons are : 1. Limits accidental or deliberate damage of your data. -If the partition where an application is installed is corrupted or accidentally deleted, the data in another partition won't be erased. You will only need to recover one partition, which is faster than recovering the entire hard disk. 2. Increase security. -Encryption is one of the fundamental methods of protecting critical data from theft or corruption, but it slows down the performance of your computer. With disk partitioning software you can encrypt only those partitions that need protection, and other parts of your system will run unencrypted and hence faster. 3. Helps computer run faster. -Hard drive partitioning lets your computer find data faster. Computer finds files and directories quicker as it needs to search only one partition, not the whole disk. 4. Organizes information -Hard drive partitioning makes it easier for you to logically organize your data. Creating partitions lets you categorize files and folders in partitions according to logical schemes. You don't have to search endless lists of hundreds or thousands, or even tens of thousands of folders trying to find a particular file or application. 5. Increase productivity -Acronis Disk Director Suite can help you increase your productivity. You won't have to lose time searching for this or that file and may complete some more useful tasks instead of it.

Different Type Of File System. LINUX /bootHas the bootable Linux kernel and boot loader configuration files (GRUB). /homeContains directories assigned to each user with a login account (with the exception of root). /usrContains user documentation, games, graphical files (X11), libraries (lib), and a variety of other user and administrative commands and files. /usr/localYou might need a separate /usr/local partition if you plan to install many programs that are not part of the Debian distribution. /optThis directory is reserved for all the software and add-on packages that are not part of the default installation. For example, StarOffice, Kylix, Netscape Communicator and WordPerfect packages are normally found here. /varContains directories of data used by various applications. In particular, this is where you would place files that you share as an FTP server (/var/ftp) or a Web server (/var/www). It also contains all system log files (/var/log) and spool files in /var/spool (such as mail, cups, and news). /tmpContains temporary files used by applications.

WINDOWS -

FAT12 used for old floppy disks FAT16 and FAT32 used for flash memory cards and USB flash stick NTFS default file system. The only file system supported disk partition over 32GB. Each of the files stored as Master File Table. It is contains of information about the file such as size, allocation,name etc. use 48 and 64 bit value to reference file.

3 b Various Partition Methods There are various way of partitioning methods to install your system.

Automatically partition

 Manual partition using GUI partitioning tools (e.g. Disk Druids)

Fdisk utilities

GNU parted

3 c creating two main partitions in linux 1) Boot the computer with a Linux Live CD or a CD containing partitioning software in the CD-ROM drive. Nearly all distributions are available as Live CDs, which allow the user to explore the operating system before installing it. Often, the Live CD will also include a stand-alone partitioning utility that can be run separately from the installation process; it is normally located in the "Utilities" or "System" menu. 2) Run the stand-alone portioning software or the partitioning utility on the Live CD, or start the installation routine from the icon on the desktop. Running partitioning software before starting the installation routine may allow advanced users more control over the partitioning process. 3) Choose the drive on which to install Linux. In most computers, there will be only one drive, and it will be labeled HDA or SDA. HDA is the first hard drive on the IDE controller, while SDA is the first hard drive on the Serial ATA controller. A second drive would be labeled either HDB or SDB, respectively. 4) Resize or delete the Windows partition, if there is one. Typically, it is labeled either NTFS or FAT32. If Windows will no longer be used, and there are no files that are needed on the Windows volume, the partition can be deleted. Otherwise, resize the Windows partition, if there is enough free space on the drive. Linux will require anywhere from 500 megabytes to 4 gigabytes of space, depending on the distribution. 5) Create a new partition in the empty space using the Ext3 file system, unless the distribution requires a specialized file system. Linux requires a minimum of two partitions: one for the main file system, and one for a Swap partition. The swap partition temporarily stores the contents of the computer's random access memory, or RAM; on most systems, it should be equal to or larger than the amount of RAM in the system. After calculating the space needed for the swap partition, the rest of the empty space can be used for the main Ext3 partition. 6) Designate the Ext3 partition as the root partition, often denoted by the "/" character. 7) Create the Swap partition in the remaining space, using the Swap file system. 8) Choose the appropriate option in the partitioning software to commit the changes to disk, then install Linux or continue the installation routine.

Conclusion As a conclusion Linux is an interactive operating system. Just the operating not famous as windows. Many user does not know the special thing about Linux.